I was a child prodigy. Like Michelangelo, who could draw a perfect circle at age five. I was extremely gifted. I could paint a perfect portrait of someone at age five. – Michael Cimino
They’ve said everything about me that they could: racist, Marxist, rightist, homophobic, sex change – I don’t know what else they could come up with. – Michael Cimino
There’s nothing good that comes out of war. It’s simply hell on earth, and people survive, and people don’t. – Michael Cimino
It’s one of the wonderful things that the Academy does – a talented person comes along like Mira Sorvino, and it elevates them up to stardom. – Michael Cimino
Would you ask Picasso to explain ‘Guernica?’ Would you ask Nabokov to explain ‘Lolita?’ Would you ask Tolstoy about ‘War and Peace?’ No, you wouldn’t dare. – Michael Cimino
Encountering a real place enhances the performances of actors in subtle ways and changes the spiritual texture of the film. – Michael Cimino
I have no interest in making a ‘Vietnam’ film, no interest in making a direct political statement. – Michael Cimino
I think ‘American Sniper’ is anti-war. It demonstrates the agony of the decision-making that goes on. – Michael Cimino
All of those years, I felt like ‘Heaven’s Gate’ was a beautiful, fantastically colored balloon tied to a string fastened to my wrist, so the balloon could never fly. – Michael Cimino
We all want to experience that in our lives – a moment when we’re two feet off the ground – and making movies gives you that opportunity. It comes and it goes so fast that it’s unreal, but it does happen. – Michael Cimino
